On more than one occasion I have been walking down the street and I have come across people running, surely it has happened to you too. But have you ever stopped to think how many years have we had this normalized? Not more than 10 years ago, seeing someone doing sports outdoors was very rare, and even looked at strangely. Now it's not just normal, but it also reminds you that you should start moving too.
Running had a great boom back in 2007, just at the beginning of the crisis that engulfed Spain in 2008. We don't know if it was a coincidence or if people had to quit gyms (because they didn't have money) and start practicing outdoors. With this initiative came the business that involves this sport and that is causing it to plummet as the months go by. We analyze what the causes may be.
Accessories everywhere
Before, the one who went out for a run did it with a tracksuit and a watch to time himself or see the time. At present, it does not occur to us to leave the house without our phone, the bluetooth headphones, the mobile phone hook, the leggings with tiny pockets for coins, the matching tank top, the latest model of sneakers, the compression stockings, the sunglasses, the cap, the watch with GPS… Everything for half an hour of exercise!
That of "All you need is a pair of shoes to run.«It is already unfeasible. Companies study their potential customers perfectly and create the need for them to buy products that will "improve" their training. Yes, it can be more comfortable and we can be better informed about how we have trained, But have you made calculations of how much money you have invested to go running? In the end, running is no longer the cheapest sport.
180 races every weekend
Races for all tastes, ages, genders and even schedules. Before 2000, in Spain popular races or marathons were not held in all cities, much less every weekend. The running boom exploded that races were created depending on the tastes of the runners. Some prefer to run at night, others during the day, with obstacles such as warriors, women, children, solidarity... So until they have 180 races every weekend throughout Spain. It's not crazy?
To all the material and accessories that you have bought to look perfect, add the €10-15 of registration for each popular race.
A fairly significant piece of information is provided by the Barcelona Marathon: in 2016 they had 16.506 participants and in 2018 only 13.539. Could the attacks or the independence debate have had an influence? It is possible that a small percentage of those registered do not do so for this reason, but they cannot be the compelling reasons why participation has been reduced by 19%.
Runners switch to other sports
Starting to get out of the crisis little by little is helping runners look towards other types of sports. Trail running, duathlon, triathlon, obstacle courses, Crossfit or functional, are the new disciplines chosen by runners.
Fashions always pass and many are forced by the "influencers" of social networks. Let's remember a few years ago the celebrities who were the image of races like San Silvestre, are they, by chance, the same ones we see doing Crossfit or Yoga now? It is the brands themselves that guide users to do one sport or another, using bloggers as intermediaries.
Eye! This is not a criticism of running or the rest of the modalities, playing sports is always the best option. But remember that correct training must work on resistance, strength and flexibility. If we only dedicate ourselves to running, we will be doing an incomplete training that we should combine with exercises of force y Stretching.